


Lilies Rising

by biffu



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/F, Multi, NaNoWriMo, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-11-01
Packaged: 2018-02-23 14:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2551325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biffu/pseuds/biffu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On their nineteenth birthday, twins Kairi & Namine are finally allowed to go on the journey of a lifetime. With backup from their mother and their instructor, these two young witches are going to embrace the outside world other than their homely little islands. Along the way they separate, they make mistakes, they cry on someone else's shoulders, and they eventually find love in the most unexpected places. From islands to cities, and from girls to young women, Kairi and Namine create the magical and unforgettable.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lilies Rising

Throwing clothes and knick knacks and snacks into a pack wasn’t an easy task. Kairi found out that some things just didn’t fit, and the pack wouldn’t close, and there was no way that she would be able to leave with all of this stuff. It didn’t help that her overly excited cat kept trying to sneak into the pack in order to steal some snacks for himself at that moment either.

“Sora! Quit it!”

Scooping up the maine coon with one arm, she placed him outside of her bedroom and kicked the door closed before he could get back in. Sora scratched at the door and Kairi scowled.

“Away with you! You’ll have your chance at all of this stuff later. Now beat it!”

The scratching stopped, but Kairi’s gaze lingered on the door for a bit longer. She didn’t believe he was actually gone, but she went back to fixing up her pack nonetheless. Muttering to herself as she grabbed several items out of it, she weighed the options of bringing them with her or not at all. She sighed, well aware that she should have packed ages ago but never got around to doing it. She had many obligations to fulfill prior to this outing, and unlike her sister, never did any organization.

“Crap!” She shrieked.

The pack still wouldn’t close, and even though she tried to sit on it, her tush wouldn’t smush the items down enough for them to go down. Sucking on her teeth, Kairi took out a few more things like makeup and hair products that she hoped that she wouldn’t need. In this day and age, if she wanted to get ready then it wouldn’t have to take as much time as it did here at home. Where she was going, she more than likely wouldn’t need all the primping.

Once those items were gone, Kairi tried smashing her torso onto the bag, and was able to zip it up after rearranging a few more things within. She tied up her long hair into a ponytail, figuring that if she was going to go for a long ride then no one would be seeing her. Whenever she arrived at her destination was when the fun really began. With a smile, Kairi picked up the pack, slung it over her shoulder, and exited the room.

Sora was still at the door and easily climbed up her yoga pants, to her t-shirt, then finally rested upon her right shoulder. She snorted at him, and he only rubbed against her in reply.

“You’re lucky you’re coming along mister. If I had my way, I’d be going solo.” She huffed.

“And if you went solo, you’d get lost. Face it, Kai. You need me.”

The cat responded before licking her cheek, and Kairi squealed out a “eww!” before wiping her face with her hand.

“Oh, so you’ve finally decided to join the rest of us, have you?”

Whirling around, Kairi smiled sheepishly at her mother. Sora on the other hand merely purred innocently, making the young woman tweak his ears just a bit.

“Sorry, I just had to pack a few more things.”

“You mean take out a few hundred things.”

Her mother crossed her arms over her bosom, apron pressed and caked just a little with frosting and sprinkles, making Kairi feel just a little guilty. The woman stared down at her daughter, looming over her like a force to be reckoned with, and after a moment of silence and Kairi whimpering, she sighed and let her hands drop to her sides again.

“Leave the bag for now and come downstairs. It’s not like you and Namine are leaving right this second. It’s tonight when the moon is out so be prepared. You listening to me?”

Kairi was already making her way back inside of the room as her mother was instructing her. “Yes, I hear you I hear you.”

“But are you _listening_?”

“Gotcha mom. Downstairs. Big party. Leave tonight. Anything else?”

The poor woman just sighed heavily once again, rubbed at her forehead because there was an impending headache, and just started down the stairs. She had hoped her daughters’ were going to completely avoid the rebellious phase, seeing as they hadn’t battled against her all throughout their teen years, but perhaps it was catching up to them now.

_Gods help them when they reach their new homes_ , she silently prayed as she reached the ground floor and found her other daughter sitting on the kitchen counter and staring outside.

“I’m hoping that you’re at least packed and ready to go for tonight as well, Namine. Your sister says she’s just fixing up her bag and then she’ll be ready.”

Namine swung her legs before turning to regard her mother whose attention was suddenly focused on the stove. Namine packed _ages_ ago when her sister hadn’t. She’d been more than excited once she and Kairi were told that they could run off and start their new lives. They’d completed their training and now it was time to see the fruits of Mistress Aqua’s training and the directional guidance that their mother had given them. That was many moons ago however, and as each full moon passed them by, Namine eagerly awaited the one that would reveal their time to leave.

Of course, it was their 19th birthday that signaled the day they would finally fly out of their nest.

Namine kept watching the world outside of the window change ever so slightly. She knew it had to do with the magic around the household, and the magic that was leaving it as well. Both her and Kairi were going to be full-fledged witches if they weren’t already, and today—and tonight of course—were proof of that. Although Namine was silent for the most part, her joy knew no bounds, and all she wanted was to explore the other lands already, but she understood that she had to wait in order to give all those farewells and accept the gifts that were surely going to be rewarded to her and her sister that night.

_It’s taking forever_ , she thought as the sun still hadn’t dipped low in the sky, _hurry up…I want an adventure._

As Namine looked to the world outside, Kairi was dreading the world within. She was more worried about the effect her magic would have on others once she set foot beyond her mother’s boundaries. There was no one to take care of her and to reprimand her when she did something wrong. She would have to think for herself, and although she paraded around as if she were independent, her dependency on rules and regulations made her want to crawl underneath the covers and never come out.

She had to be emboldened. She couldn’t just let a thing like this scare her off and make her stay away. No, Kairi had to be courageous and pull through, and all of these thoughts made her absolutely nervous and nauseous to boot.

Waddling down the stairs and into the kitchen, she got a whiff of the magnificent pies and cakes that her mother practically conjured for the twins on their birthday. Kairi almost didn’t want anything to do with them because what if she accidentally barfed while the festivities were going on? That was the last memory she wanted to leave home with, and yet the enticing aroma of all the confections made her mouth water, and she had to wipe at her mouth just in case.

“Has every mayor in this place done baked goods, or is it just you, mom?”

Kairi walked over to her sister, pinched her meaty thighs—in which Namine cried out—and then moved over to her mother to casually wrap and arm over her shoulders. She took in another whiff of the glorious piles of sweets that were being placed upon the counter. Namine had no choice but to stand up as their mother needed the space.

Giggling their mother replied, “Probably just me. I wonder if I should join contests and win a few prizes?”

“You probably could gain a fortune with that talent alone.” Kairi grinned before bumping her mother with her hip a bit and then moved over to her sister.

“There’s magic in those, right?”

Scowling at her sister, Kairi flicked Namine on the nose to which the other slapped her arm. Their mother finished putting the confections onto the counter and glanced over at them both. She rolled her eyes in exasperation as they were still acting as if they were five instead of nineteen.

“Yes, there is a little bit of magic in them, but there is a little bit of magic in everything, my dear. You should do well to remember that. You have more than enough skills to deal without magic every minute of your lives,” she looked pointedly at Kairi who was used to using her powers in order to do chores instead of taking care of them normally, “but that doesn’t mean that using a wee bit is bad. Sometimes you need to win people over.”

Namine gasped, “You’re bewitching people for us?”

“No, dork. She’s just making it easier for people who are going to miss us.” Kairi told her sister matter-of-factly as Sora jumped off of her shoulder.

The cat shook himself before licking at a paw. Another cat crept out of the shadows of the bottom cabinets and nudged him with his head. The two of them purred, making the girls forget momentarily that they were about to have an argument over magical abilities and whether it was right or wrong to use them on other people regardless if they were witches or not. The twins leaned down to pet their cats while their mother fixed up her work with a soft hum before responding.

“Kairi, don’t call your sister names. Namine, despite your sister’s abject rudeness, she is also very correct. I am only giving them a dose of magic so that they aren’t too sad about your departures. I wonder if I should do the same for the two of you. After all, you are going to separate areas. That’s the way that you wanted it.”

Both Namine and Kairi huffed and stood up again. They crossed their arms over their chests before glancing at each other once more, then looking away haughtily.

“There’s no way we’ll miss each other that bad.”

“Yeah, come on mom. We’ve been together always. A little distance isn’t such a bad thing.”

Their mother just rolled her eyes again. It was bad enough dealing with one teen girl, but two at the same time was more than enough for the woman to bear. She supposed their final test was godsends if it would get them out of the house and away from each other where they would indeed learn a lesson or two from distance, but she still worried about them.

“Just behave yourselves until you can leave please? The last thing I need is a fiasco for your last hurrah until you come back in a year.”

“Yes, ma’am,” they answered in unison as she finished up the preparations.

It wasn’t a huge blowout or anything; everyone in the neighborhood of Destiny Islands made their way over to the villa that Madame Mayor Nerida occupied with her two daughters. There were tons and tons of people laughing with plates of food or confections, and were having a wonderfully lovely time. It didn’t feel like a goodbye party at all, especially since Kairi’s friends had gravitated to her easily, trading stories about other things that had nothing to do with leaving, while they all coerced Namine to leave her circle and join them. It was a quaint little party, and the only ones who knew that there was a touch of magic in the air, were those who summoned the spells to keep everyone chipper.

When the sun dropped low, and the stars shone above, Master Aqua arrived to see her two protégés. She was a huge contrast to their mother in terms of size and looks, but they shared the same motherly concern and kindness. Namine immediately warmed up to Aqua during their first few lessons when their mother brought her over to meet with them separately and privately. The young blonde with her inquisitive nature talked a lot about how curly and poofy her mother’s hair was compared to their own and Aqua’s, and how they all had the same kind of blue eyes but different lights in them as well, stopping only to ask a few questions as she spoke.

Aqua smiled and giggled, and Namine did the same during their conversations, and instead of asking her right away about magic, she just let the girl talk and talk and talk until she couldn’t say anything anymore. It’s funny, because now Namine is the one who listens and waits for everyone else to get a word in, but when she was much younger all she wanted to do was prattle on about everything like she would never be able to grip onto these words ever again.

Kairi was much the opposite. She had grown to love Aqua more like an older sister, but there were many tribulations before they found common ground. Kairi had not wanted to meet with a magical instructor, feeling—no, _knowing_ is what she told her—that their mother was the best there is, and no one else could replace the magical lessons she could instill in them.

“Well, you’re right about that. Your mother is the best there is, but still…she finds that I can be of some use to the two of you seeing as she cannot always teach you the benefits of magic…”

Kairi crossed her small arms and glared at Aqua for that, but eventually she was won over with the promise of her magical skills becoming at par with her mother’s. Not only that, but Aqua had something planned especially for the two of them that their mother probably couldn’t or wouldn’t teach them, after all, every witch is unique just like every being in the world was unique.

So when Aqua brought herself to the Nerida home that evening as the party began to die down and the girls still hand not yet departed, they ran to her as if they hadn’t seen her in centuries. Master Aqua had seen them both not even a day ago, but they were missing her already for what was going to come.

“I wasn’t expecting such a tearful goodbye,” she said.

“We aren’t—“

Kairi’s words were cut off by her sister with a pinch mirroring that like she had given Namine earlier. Kairi huffed, but didn’t finish the thought nonetheless. Instead, she joined her sister in taking one of Aqua’s hands and leading her to what refreshments and sweets they still had left for her to take. Their mother had done a phenomenal job, and watched them with a proud countenance, but as the minutes ticked by, she knew that it was coming all to a close. Her girls were leaving, and she wouldn’t see them for an entire year.

The thought alone made her weep, but she dabbed at her eyes with a napkin before coming closer to the girls’ and their beloved instructor.

Namine and Kairi huddled with their instructor for about fifteen more minutes before the woman told them to grab their things. The moon was full, and the wind was picking up, but it was still a perfect night to ride out. They did as was told, only stopping to make a few comments to their friends who were eager to see the two witches fly off into the night. They gave the girls any last minute offerings and well wishes before the girls ducked into their home, and grabbed their items.

Bags slung across their backs, cats pressed against their shoulders, brooms in their hands, and nervous smiles on their faces, Kairi and Namine were ready to go. They stepped back out of their home, turned around to gaze at it with last minute goodbyes on their lips. They whispered to it, hoping the magic within could hear them and bless them before they left. Everyone else waited with bated breath for them to turn around again, and as they did the girls’ friends shouted with glee, wishing them well, and hoping that they would return again very soon.

Neither Kairi nor Namine had the heart to tell them it was for an entire year, but they did promise they would write to them all whenever they had the chance.

Aqua and their mother stood side by side as the crowd of their friends dispersed into two separate factions. Both women were proud of them and trying with much difficulty not to shed anymore tears. When the girls approached them one final time, they gave them long hugs and forehead kisses with whispered partings because if they shouted they just might sob. Kairi and Namine pulled back with deep sighs and mixed feelings, but when they shrugged at each other they knew it was time to go.

Both twins looked at the sky above and a star winked before descending downward. They closed their eyes together, taking a deep breath and made a silent wish. Once the moment passed, it was time to leave. They mounted their broomsticks and made sure everything was alright. They checked over each other as well before finally hovering off the ground and up into the sky. It was a slow and steady transition from floor to sky, but either way they made it up just fine.

The boys below fought over who could see either of the girl’s panties despite the fact that Kairi had chosen to wear comfortable pants, and although her sister wore a dress there were definitely shorts underneath. The girls’ mother gave them menacing looks, and they shut their mouths quick, only to hoot and holler when the girls gave a final salute and wave, and then finally flew away from their nest.

Living on the Destiny Islands was not boring in the least. Despite it being a small chain of islands brought together by differing bridges, there was a sense of community. Everyone knew everyone else, and everyone tended to gravitate together. Although Kairi and Namine were not like other children because they had a magical mother, they were not treated any differently, and therefore ended up growing up in much the same manner as the other young adults did. Sure, they had magic and tended to get into petty squabbles or some manner of trouble for using their powers when they shouldn’t have, but it was still pretty normal.

As the girls flew in the sky with the stars shining above them, mapping out their separate destinations, they looked not above but below onto the many homes that they had known their entire life. Row after row, some with modifications here and there to break out of the fold, others much too conforming but with enough space in between that they don’t seem as conforming; it was all such a new experience for the girls. They had seen these homes from below as well as above, but not like this. The fact that they were departing from home for such an obscene amount of time felt so surreal, and as they gazed downward, the Destiny Islands themselves were surreal.

“If you look down any longer, you’re going to get blood rushing to your head, and a massive headache. Look around you.”

Namine’s cat drawled out from her shoulder, and the girls stuck their tongues out at him. He was ruining their fun; all they wanted was to see the world as they knew it one last time before having to leave completely.

They said goodbyes to their favorite ice cream shops, arcades, karaoke spots, chain of beaches, and even the mini island that was no more than a speck of dirt to them from above that they used to play in as children. They weren’t saying goodbye to their memories, but still it was a bittersweet feeling to say goodbye at all.

“Ah! I can’t take this anymore, we have to go.” Kairi looked ahead, no longer wanting to stare down at the islands, especially since she could feel the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Namine sighed. “I guess you’re right. We can’t stay up here forever. But it’s just…we’re finally leaving and I almost don’t want to…” _That’s a lie, I want to leave but there’s still something…_

“Looking down at home won’t help us. We’ve got to go.” _I’ll miss everyone, but it’s for the best. I’ve got to grow up and become someone useful._

Kairi didn’t look down anymore; instead she pushed herself to fly higher. Sora clung onto her shirt and snuggled himself against her neck. It tickled Kairi, but she figured he couldn’t help it. She was going a little too high, but there was a rush of adrenaline coursing through her now as she pulled out the map she placed in her pack.

Namine almost didn’t want to join her sister, but she figured that even though they would inevitably separate, they should at least look at a map together. Namine did have her own, but this would be the last activity she would partake in with her sister. They didn’t see eye to eye on many things, even feeling that the other was downright annoying, but they were sisters and she still loved Kairi with all of her heart.

“So? What’s your plan?”

Namine vocalized the same thoughts that both of their cats had from the start of their journey.

“I don’t really have one. I want to go with my gut feeling on this one, but I should at least pick a direction, right?”

Kairi closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She understood that the wind normally came from the east, but she wanted to figure out where it was going _to_ exactly. Her brows furrowed as she waited for a few minutes, and soon a sweet scent like that of the sea filled her nostrils. It was like the sea, but not quite along with the scent of flower petals, but what kind she couldn’t tell yet. It was odd, but not unpleasant. Kairi turned her head; the scent was coming from the west, and she knew that she had to follow it. Her heart fluttered and then pounded in her ears.

_The rush of being up here is really getting to me._

Namine observed her sister’s perfect posture as she sat on her broom. She mimicked the position, finding it to be a little more strenuous than what she was used to. Kairi was normally too relaxed, but the way she handled herself when it came to magic was exceptionally perfect and diligent. Namine couldn’t understand her sometimes, but she supposed that was what made them so unique and she wouldn’t have it any other way. In order to figure out herself, sometimes she had to figure out her sister. It was work.

“Did you..?” She hesitantly asked as Kairi finally opened her eyes again to turn her head.

“West. I’m going west.”

“O-oh. Okay.”

Namine adjusted herself on her broom for a moment. Riku settled onto her shoulder much more firmly, feeling that there was something she wanted to say, but didn’t. He mewled, and the blonde petted him absentmindedly.

“And where are you going to go?”

Sora was the one that asked, not Kairi. She was still too focused on the scent and the reasons of why it could be calling her.

“Well…” Namine swooped in close, peering over Kairi’s other shoulder in order to look at the map. There was a lot of ocean where they were at the moment, and Namine felt it would be best to go to an area that was relatively small but nothing at all like their home as well. She wasn’t too sure if she wanted to visit a city or a town just yet, but it wasn’t supposed to be anything like the islands. Her thoughts began to give her a headache, and instead of answering Sora right away, Namine pinched the bridge of her nose as if that would stop the pain that would rear its head.

“She doesn’t know yet. Then again, neither of you are supposed to know. You could follow your gut like Kairi.”

“Mm. I guess that’s right. Thank you, Riku.”

The white cat jumped from Namine’s shoulder onto the edge of the broom before jumping over to Kairi’s. Sora followed his lead, and the two of them nuzzled each other before mewling. They too were going to be apart for quite some time, and needed to say their goodbyes. Namine observed them, her mind elsewhere. Her sister was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to even pay any mind to the two kits, but she did manage to at least turn her gaze over to her sister for a moment.

“I’ll go north, perhaps.” Namine told them.

“That’s an easy path to follow.”

“None of this is going to be easy, Kairi. That’s the whole point of it. We’re starting a whole new life without anyone to help us! You can’t just think it’s going to be easy for me or for you for that matter. We have no idea what the future holds for us. It’s not like we were good readers.”

“No need to be defensive, Nami. I’m just saying it’s an easier path to take. It could be winding, but it’s just so… _simple_. And so very _you_.”

Namine wasn’t so sure if she was supposed to be offended or not by her sister’s statement, and diplomatically thought that it was better if she didn’t think too deeply about it. Instead, she moved away from her sister, deciding to give her a little head start with the space they were going to be having between each other.

“…Right, well. I guess we should be off then.”

Riku had already climbed onto Namine’s broom already, and instead of clinging onto her shoulder and living a little dangerously like Sora, he took her lap. He pawed her bag, making it firm enough for him to luxuriously lie upon and take a nap. He was supposed to help Namine n her journey, and he would do just that, but for now he knew that there wasn’t going to be any danger, nor was she going to do anything that would put her in danger anyway. Namine would rather plan the entire trip if she could, but without any clues as to which city or town had a witch until they could feel it, she couldn’t do anything but take her fate into her hands.

He figured that a little comfort of her cat lying on her lap would suffice for now.

Kairi hummed in response and put her map into her pack. Sora watched as Namine and Riku started on their journey, not even looking back at the two of them as they flew north. Sora tutted at the redhead once the two of them were nothing but a fake star in the distance, and Kairi decided to pay him no mind. She wanted to follow the scent and feeling that was carrying her across the wind currents and into her new home. Was it going to be bittersweet, this next year? Would she make any friends? Would it be too difficult and make her despair? There was no way of knowing, but she figured that there was no time like the present.

Kairi finally started to fly again on her own; Sora could only watch as the sights around them changed, and he felt that Kairi too would begin to change soon enough just like these territories.

**Author's Note:**

> Since I'm participating in Nanowrimo 2014, I wanted to showcase my work.  
> Of course, I'm not going to post the chapters daily, but only when they are completed.  
> If you want to check out my nano progress you can either see my counter at my tumblr or on nano!  
> Also, each chapter title is from the 100_women prompt livejournal community. I love the list.


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